Stefna

Meaning of Old Norse word "stefna"

As defined by the Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse to English dictionary:

Old Norse word stefna can mean:stefna

stefna

1. and stemna, d, [stafn, stamn], to ‘point with the stem’ to stand in a certain direction, (esp. of sailing, from which the metaphor is taken); s. inn fjörðinn, Landn. 56, Eg. 128: s. út ór firði. to stand out of the firth, Ó. H. 37; s. út á haf, Fms. i. 26; þeir stefndu inn í Víkina, 60; s. á land upp, vii. 202; s. til bæjarins, Eg. 230; þat stefndi til Rúts-staða, Nj. 35:—to aim at, höggit stefndi á fótlegginn, the blow aimed at the leg, Fms. vii. 325; sendi ör af lásboga, þó óafvitandi á hvern hann stefndi, Stj. 604: phrases, e-m verðr nær stefnt, to escape narrowly, Fms. viii. 328; betr enn til var stefnt, better than it was begun, of luck better than foresight, ix. 414; stefna sér til örkumla, to court, expose oneself to, Bjarn. 56.

stefna

II. a law term, to give notice to one, summon him, the person in dat., Grág., n. G. L., Nj.; s. manni í dóm, til alþingis, etc., passim; s. e-m um e-t, Grág. i. 107; s. um sök, 21: with a double dat., s. manni þeirri sök er tólftar-kviðr fylgir, to summon a person in such a case, 20; ek skal þér Mörðr vera ok stefna þér af konunni, Nj. 15.

stefna

2. to cite, of a case; stefna sök, to call a case into court, Grág. i. 36; s. máli, Nj. 33; s. dómi til rofs, Grág. ii. 101; s. til alþingis, i. 106; s. í hvárt þing sem vill, 162: the word is used in countless instances in Grág., Nj., and the Sagas: to recite the summons, hann stefndi fyrir málinu, en hann mælti eptir ok stefndi rangt, Nj. 35.

stefna

3. to call together, with acc., of a meeting; s. þing, to call a meeting, Fb. ii. 38, Ld. 2, Hkr. iii. 26, Fær. 119, Eg. 338:—s. saman, to call together; stefna saman þegn ok þræl, Stj. 611; s. saman öllum lýð, 541; s. at sér liði, to summon the troops, Eg. 270; s. til sín, 26, 32, 269; s. at sér mönnum, to gather men, Nj. 104; stemna stemnu, to summon formally, Grág. i. 108; s. veizlu, to bid people to a feast, Fms. xi. 45; þessi ætlan er nú er stefnd, Hkr. iii. 384.

stefna

2. or stemna, u, f. a direction, Hkr. i. 158:—an appointed meeting.

stefna

II. a law term, a summons, citation; eiga stefnu við e-n, Eg. 271; koma fyrr til stefnu, Fms. vii. 151.

stefna

2. the term = stef; þriggja nátta stefna, Fms. viii. 200; mánaðar-s., at liðinni þeirri stefnu, Grág. i. 378; er at þeirri stefnu kom, Eg. 30; er sú s. var liðin, 277; tólt mánaða stemna, n. G. L. i. 43; selja jörð ór stemnu, to sell an estate held by lease, GþL. 309: the saying, allr dagr til stefnu, all the day for a citation, a summons being lawful if served before nightfall, Jb.; hence metaph., það er allr dagr til stefnu, i. e. plenty of time or leisure, of a thing which is not pressing.

stefna

COMPDS: stefnuboð, stefnudagr, stefnudægr, stefnufall, stefnufundr, stefnuför, stefnugörð, stefnujörð, stefnulag, stefnuleiðangr, stefnulið, stefnulýðr, stefnumaðr, stefnumorginn, stefnurof, stefnustaðr, stefnustofa, stefnusök, stefnutal, stefnutími, stefnuvargr, stefnuváttr, stefnuvitni.

Possible runic inscription in Younger Futhark:ᛋᛏᛁᚠᚾᛅ
Younger Futhark runes were used from 8th to 12th centuries in Scandinavia and their overseas settlements